October 2001 - Summer Update
It’s been a long, crazy summer. Thank goodness fall is here.
After the Amazon sold and was out of our hands, we attempted to settle in to several more years of working, what was necessary in order to pay off Jenny P’s loan, and shore up our cruising kitty (actually, create it since it was quite nonexistent). After a couple of months with being satisfied with our decision to press on, the nagging question kept giving us headaches – Is this really worth it? Is cruising on Jenny P worth several more years of our lives? Would we be happier on a cheaper, simpler boat?
The answer came one evening in July. We had just returned to the marina on a lovely summer evening and settled into the cockpit with a couple of glasses of wine to catch the last of the days sunshine. This, we started discussing, was all we wanted, to be sitting in the sun together outside. The particular cockpit didn’t matter, just that we were outside breathing in the fresh air together.
Decisions were quickly made. This time, we knew we were doing the right thing.We listed Jenny P with a broker, Sailboats at Shilshole, signed up for a small one bedroom apartment only a mile from work and began moving stuff off the boat. I still can’t believe how many carloads we filled with our live aboard stuff! Truly amazing.
In August, we were settled into our new apartment, excited to have a REAL shower right in the next room, and even a washer and dryer near the bedroom. What luxury! We’ve enjoyed having a movie theater and bookstores right across the street, running trails nearby, and a mere 20-minute walk to work. We bought the cats a huge scratchpost, and they have enjoyed running back and forth down the hall during the day. All this room though, and they are still sleeping on our heads for some reason.
In September, the novelty had worn off. Neighbors are LOUD, and so is living next to two busy streets. Sirens day and night. We can’t wait to be back on the water again. We drive to the marina on the weekends, walking the docks talking to old friends and keeping our eyes peeled for “For Sale” signs. We start looking at other boats and hope a buyer materializes for Jenny P.
We didn’t have to wait long. One Saturday in September, we get a message that we’ve received an offer for Jenny P. At first we are in shock, as we realize that we are really about to give up our trusted boat, but then the reality that we will be free from debt sets in, and all the promise that freedom will bring.
We accept a counteroffer, and before we know it, we are standing on the dock looking at Jenny P one last time, after checking her lockers one last time. It was not easy to walk away that afternoon. “It’s just a boat…” we tell ourselves, wondering at the same time if that’s really true.
But suddenly, we are elated at the world full of opportunities that have just been opened up for us.
To be continued…-sdj-
